http://www.terra.es/personal2/zoy_yo/1bach/compre1.htmhttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/reading/english.htmlhttp://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r12-traditional-wedding.php

American Teenagers

Think of America. Do you think of money, success, and happy, healthy families? Or do you think of crime, TV, hamburgers, and The Simpsons? An American magazine recently interviewed a thousand 18-year-olds with some surprising results.

MoneyThe majority of 18-year-olds aren’t really interested in Rolexes or Raybans. The average

American teenager doesn’t dream of work and money. They want to have work-free weekends - free time to enjoy the money they will earn. They don’t want big pay cheques in big jobs in big cities.

Family lifeThe majority of American teenagers come from families where both parents work full-time.

Many parents go out and leave their children at home while they are working. Many teenagers feel that TV replaces their parents, and they say that they won’t make the same mistakes when they are older and have their own children.

TravelMost American teenagers would like to travel. Unlike their parents who only toured Europe

after they finished studying, this generation want to go to more exotic places. Many say they want to get away from western culture. According to 18-year-old Dawn Beaupit, “Everyone should travel and learn about different cultures. I’m going to Nepal this spring to find out how life there is different from life in the west.”

American teenagers are only worried about money and good jobs ? True ? False

They think that free time at the weekend isn’t important ? True ? False

Teenagers think that parents don’t spend enough time with their children. ? True ? False

American teenagers would only like to travel round Europe after they finish studying. ? True ? False

They think it’s important to find out about other cultures. ? True ? False

http://www.terra.es/personal2/zoy_yo/1bach/compre1.htmhttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/reading/english.htmlhttp://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r12-traditional-wedding.phpDisney World

It's Not a Small World, after all...covering 40 square miles, Walt Disney World Resort is about the size of San Francisco or two Manhattan islands. Of the more than 25,000 acres, less than 35 percent has been developed with a quarter designated as a wilderness preserve.

A Cast of Thousands...around 62,000 to be more precise. That's how many people it takes to create the magic at the Vacation Kingdom. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World Resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States.

What the Well-Dressed Mouse Will Be Wearing...depends entirely on the occasion. Mickey Mouse himself has more than 290 different sets of duds, ranging from a scuba suit to a tuxedo. Minnie Mouse's wardrobe contains more than 200 outfits, including everything from a cheerleader ensemble to evening gowns.

I'm Dreaming of a "Green" Christmas...The 1,500 Christmas trees at Walt Disney World Resort won't be the only "green" holiday delights this season as each Walt Disney World resort hotel will glow with new "conservation" lighting - more than 700,000 LED lights in all. String the bulbs end to end and the strand would stretch for 96 miles or light the path from Jacksonville to Orlando, all while using 1/10th of the power of traditional incandescent bulbs.

Who's Still Thirsty?...More than 75 million Cokes are consumed each year at Walt Disney World Resort along with 13 million bottles of water. Guests also gobble 10 million hamburgers, 6 million hot dogs, 9 million pounds of French fries and more than 300,000 pounds of popcorn.

Gone But Not Forgotten...Walt Disney World Lost and Found is one busy place. Every day an average of 210 pairs of sunglasses are turned in and, since 1971, an estimated 1.65 million pairs of glasses have found their way into the "lost" bin. On an annual basis, Lost and Found cast members collect more than 6,000 cell phones, 3,500 digital cameras, 18,000 hats and 7,500 autograph books.

Strings 'n Things...Disney's only full-time harpist entertains diners at Victoria & Albert's, a grand dining experience at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Bloomin' Beauty...Nearly 12 percent of Walt Disney World property - an area equivalent to nearly 3,000 football fields - is devoted to gardens and maintained landscapes. That's 4,000 acres worth of beauty.

Are the following statements true or false? 1. Walt Disney are not environmentally aware and do nothing for nature.

TrueFalse

2. Over 60,000 people are employed by Disney.

FalseTrue

http://www.terra.es/personal2/zoy_yo/1bach/compre1.htmhttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/reading/english.htmlhttp://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r12-traditional-wedding.php

3. Minnie Mouse has more clothes than Mickey Mouse.

TrueFalse

4. The Christmas trees at Disney this year will be white.

TrueFalse

5. It is common for people to lose their belongings while on holiday at Disney.

TrueFalse

6. At Disney you can eat burgers but not hot dogs.

TrueFalse

7. The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa employs a full time cellist.

FalseTrue

English Language

English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially in Commonwealth countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, and in many international organisations.

Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the initial spread of the language far beyond the British Isles. Following World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the spread of the language. On an average school day approximately one billion people are learning English in one form or another.

A working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations. As a result over a billion people speak English at least at a basic level. English is one of six official languages of the United Nations.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "English language". You can explore more on the Wikipedia website. The text and the images are used here only for educational purposes.

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Questions about the text

1. English is spoken in Canada.True.False.We don't know.

2. Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca.True.False.We don't know.

3. It has become the international language in many areas.True.False.We don't know.

4. Over a billion people speak English at least at a basic level.True.False.We don't know.

5. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations.True.False.We don't know.Read about this traditional wedding, then answer the true/false questions.

Everybody loves a good wedding and I'm no exception. I've been to a load of them in my native Britain and I must say that I usually have a great time. I've also been to a few abroad, including the Caribbean and Spain, and most recently (last week in fact) to one in the mountains of Sardinia. No two weddings are ever the same and I really enjoyed this one for one or two of the differences from those in the UK.

First, the two families spent at least three weeks before the big day preparing all the food, from wonderful home-made delicacies to simple traditional breads and pastas. In my experience, in the UK that onerous task is left to the caterers! In the week leading up to the wedding there is a dinner or some form of celebration every day - training for the stomach I guess. I know that we have the traditional Bachelor party and Bachelorette party, but this is more family orientated and certainly a little less rowdy. This particular ceremony was in a beautiful country church and afterwards the couple was driven to the reception in a wonderfully decorated classic Fiat 500, which was really similar to what happens in the UK, even down to the string of tin cans trailing behind the car!

http://www.terra.es/personal2/zoy_yo/1bach/compre1.htmhttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/reading/english.htmlhttp://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r12-traditional-wedding.phpThe reception itself was also very similar until I realized that the seven tables in the hall each

sat sixty guests (that's four hundred and twenty, for those of you who didn't study Math), an average number for Sardinia but would be considered a very large wedding where I'm from.

The wine flowed, as did the chatter - the famous Italian exuberance showing itself to the full. There were the five or six courses of wonderful food, screaming kids running wild, the ceremonial cutting of the cake by the bride and groom - but no speeches! Not one. In the UK it's traditional for the father of the bride to propose a toast, followed by the groom and finishing up with that of the best man. His is meant to be he highlight of the lunch \ dinner, generally having a good laugh at the groom's expense, but here the groom was spared that particular discomfort.

Instead there was a delightful custom which I'd never seen before, in which six or seven of the male guests pass round the hall banging trays, drums, pots, pans or basically anything that makes a horrendous noise, selling pieces of the groom's tie which has been cut into tiny bits. The money raised is then given to the happy(!) couple to help them set up their new life together. Really nice. Finally the evening saw a lot of traditional dancing, a little disco dancing and some karaoke. Pretty much the part I like best, and again I wasn't disappointed. Can't wait for the next one.

1. The writer generally likes weddings. True False

2. He didn't particularly enjoy the Sardinian one. True False

3. The families helped the caterers to prepare the food. True False

4. There is usually a dinner the night before the wedding. True False

5. The groom meets the bride outside the church. True False

6. UK wedding receptions are often a lot smaller than Sardinian ones. True False

7. The writer found it hard to understand the speeches. True False

http://www.terra.es/personal2/zoy_yo/1bach/compre1.htmhttp://www.saberingles.com.ar/reading/english.htmlhttp://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r12-traditional-wedding.php8. The staff of the reception hall cut the cake for the guests. True False

9. There is an auction to sell the groom's tie. True False

10. The money from this helps to pay for the reception. True False